Kael had spent days training himself by fighting ghosts, gradually understanding the full potential of the enhancement provided by his armor.
After countless battles and defeating hundreds of ghosts, he had reached a point where he could effortlessly take down seven ghosts on his own. However, not all the ghosts he encountered were from the group attacking him. Some had chosen, like others before them, to become his soldiers instead of attacking him.
By the end of these days, Kael had gathered a team of around fifty ghosts loyal to him. They roamed Fallen City like a small army, hunting and fighting together.
At times, he had faced large groups and managed them like a general commanding his soldiers. Undoubtedly, this experience would prove invaluable in the upcoming battle against the First Trial's Boss.
As for the armor, he discovered that it provided him with enhancements to overcome his opponents, but this power came at a cost—intense fatigue that would overwhelm him over time.
The side effect of this enhancement manifested approximately three hours after activation, making prolonged battles particularly challenging.
Kael had no control over when the enhancement would activate. The armor seemed to decide autonomously, as if observing the entire battle, when and how much buff used on him. Whenever this occurred, one of the three runes on the armor emitted a blue glow. The inactivity of the other two runes suggested that the armor possessed two additional abilities he had yet to uncover.
And what about his sword?
Did the ten runes etched on it signify ten distinct abilities? Had he yet to discover any of them?
Kael didn't know the answers to these questions, but he knew one thing for certain: the time had come to stop fighting ghosts and challenge the Boss of the First Trial.
Preparations were swift. In truth, there wasn't much to prepare, so they quickly set off toward the city center.
Kael had never approached the city center before and had no idea what dangers awaited him there. Although the ghosts were initially reluctant to move toward the center, they were equally unwilling to leave Kael alone.
As they neared the center, the ghosts grew increasingly uneasy.
Kael speculated that this was due to the horrifying results of a battle fought long ago between the native inhabitants and the boss, as described in the pillars he had encountered.
Years ago, his own world had faced a similar thing, but unlike the ghosts, humanity had elite warriors to protect them.
The further they ventured into the center, the darkness of the sky gave way to light. This illumination filled Kael with a sense of peace.
As the group advanced, the ruined structures and collapsed roads were replaced by relatively intact buildings, small areas covered with trees, and wide open fields.
This unexpected sight surprised Kael. He had anticipated increasing chaos the closer he got to the city center, but his expectations were proven wrong.
There was also a noticeable decrease in the number of cold flames he observed in this area.
This left Kael puzzled.
"Shouldn't there be more cold flames here since we're approaching the boss?" he asked.
The ghost that had accompanied him since his arrival gave him a look that seemed to say, "I'm as new to this as you are."
From the ghost's expression, Kael understood that it had no knowledge of the area, so he continued onward.
To his right was a large forest densely packed with trees. Upon hearing rustling sounds from the forest, both Kael and the ghosts assumed defensive stances, ready for whatever creature might emerge from the shadows.
After a few seconds of silence, a fully grown deer, not the several-meter-tall beast covered in thick fur they were expecting, emerged from the trees.
"Wait, are you telling me there have been animals here all along?" Kael blurted out, caught off guard.
He then remembered the dozens of rats he had eaten to survive and felt a wave of disgust. Having grown desperate from his monotonous diet of rodents, Kael, in a burst of excitement, carefully raised the wooden spear he still carried.
This crude weapon was the first he had used to defend himself here. Though he had never truly needed it, he had kept it with him, thinking it might someday prove useful.
That day had finally arrived.
Though Kael had never thrown a spear before and was likely to miss, he resolved to try.
The spear struck the ground a few meters away from the deer, which fled in fear. Kael, however, was determined not to give up. It had been too long since he had the chance to eat real food, and he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away.
As the deer ran deeper into the forest, Kael and the ghosts followed closely.
It seemed they had no intention of abandoning the chase.
The deer darted frantically through the trees, its fear driving it in erratic directions.
For once, Kael was grateful that his father had forced him to learn hunting skills. Normally, an inexperienced person would stand little chance of catching a deer, but Kael wasn't inexperienced. He knew the deer would tire soon and be forced to slow down.
Of course, Kael himself would also grow tired, but his rigorous training and battles had left him in peak physical condition.
After about ten minutes of pursuit, the deer began to slow. Eventually, it climbed a small hill but hesitated to descend, unable to move forward yet unwilling to turn back.
This brief pause was all Kael needed. He seized the opportunity and threw his spear.
The spear struck the deer's hind leg, causing it immense pain. The force of the impact threw the deer off balance, and the injury prevented it from regaining its footing, resulting in its fall from the hill.
Kael felt a mixture of joy at the prospect of finally eating real food and guilt for the pain he had caused the animal.
He climbed to the top of the hill to look down, but what he saw filled him with both sadness and unease.
His sorrow stemmed from the deer's obvious suffering, but what truly concerned him was the stone golem leaning against a tree at the bottom of the hill.
The golem showed no reaction to the events unfolding around it, remaining motionless against the tree.
Despite the potential danger, Kael was unwilling to give up his prize. He carefully descended the hill. Though the golem appeared unresponsive to sound or movement, he remained cautious. After all, the pillars he had encountered earlier made no mention of such a creature.
Kael quietly slung the deer over his shoulder and began to leave the forest. Dusk was approaching, and he didn't want to be alone in the woods when the ghosts disappeared. If there was a golem here, there could be other types of creatures deeper in the forest.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Kael and the ghosts found a relatively safe spot to set up camp.
At that moment, his only focus was sinking his teeth into the deer's meat.